Gail V. Berkenblit, MD

Lee Akst, M.D., specializes in treating the larynx (voicebox), in particular the treatment of voice and swallowing disorders. He is a leading laryngologist in office-based procedures such as vocal fold injection augmentation, pulsed KTP laser treatment, and laryngeal botox injection. In the operating room, Dr. Akst specializes in phonosurgery for the treatment of vocal cord disease, with emphasis on voice restoration and improvement. A strong focus of his practice involves the use of pulsed angiolytic lasers, which allow for subspecialized care of laryngeal papillomas, laryngeal dysplasia, and early vocal cord cancers while preserving the quality and strength of the voice.Dr. Akst is a national leader in the field of laryngology and serves in leadership roles for the American Laryngological Association, the American Broncho-Esophagological Association, and the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. He lectures extensively on the treatment of laryngeal disease, teaching other physicians how to care for patients with voice and swallowing concerns. His research interests include the development of robotic laryngeal surgery, the study of voice and swallowing complaints in the elderly, and the advancement of pulsed lasers for the treatment of laryngeal diseases with a focus on leukoplakia.This provider is registered with the Florida Department of Health to perform telehealth services for patients in Florida.

Colonel James Ficke, M.D., is Robert A. Robinson Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and director of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. He is also orthopaedist-in-chief of The Johns Hopkins Hospital. He is nationally renowned as an expert on the treatment of complex foot and ankle patients, lower extremity trauma patients and amputees.Dr. Ficke received his M.D. from Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in 1987. He completed a transitional internship at Madigan Army Medical Center, and finished his residency in orthopaedic surgery at Tripler Army Medical Center. He also completed an AO fellowship in Trauma in Munich Germany, and a foot and ankle fellowship in Dallas, Texas.Prior to his current position, Dr. Ficke was chairman of the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation at the San Antonio Military Medical Center. He also served the U.S. Army Surgeon General as the senior advisor on policy and personnel for orthopaedics and extremity injuries for seven years.During his deployment as deputy commander of clinical services at the 228th Combat Support Hospital in Mosul, Iraq, from 2004 to 2005, he was the senior orthopedic surgeon, treating more than 600 U.S. soldiers and Iraqi patients for war injuries.Dr. Ficke has received numerous awards for his skills as a surgeon and educator, as well as two dozen military decorations and awards including the Bronze Star and Meritorious Service Medals. His service earned him the Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons’ prestigious 2010 Colonel Brian Allgood Memorial Leadership Award, and The Surgeon General's 2010 Major General Lewis Aspey Mologne Award.He has served as the co-chair of the Extremity War Injury Symposium sponsored by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons since 2005.

Paul M. Hassoun, M.D., is professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the director of the pulmonary hypertension program at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He received his medical degree from the Faculté de Médecine Lariboisière-Saint Louis at the University of Paris, France, completed an internship and residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, both at Harvard Medical School. He was on faculty in the pulmonary division at New England Medical Center/Tufts University School of Medicine (Tufts-NEMC) in Boston, MA, until 2002 when he joined the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine at Johns Hopkins University.Dr. Hassoun has served or currently serves on numerous American Thoracic Society (ATS) assemblies and committees, including the Pulmonary Circulation Long Range Planning Committee, the Pulmonary Circulation Program Committee (for which he served as chair for 2008-2009), the ATS Scientific Advisory Council, Pulmonary Circulation Leadership Committee, and the American College of Chest Physicians Vascular Steering Committee. He served as the ATS Pulmonary Circulation chair (2011-2012) and on the ATS Publications Policy Committee. He was recently elected president of the Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute (PVRI; 2018-2019).Dr. Hassoun has held numerous editorial activities including serving on the editorial board of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Medicine (2010 to present), CHEST (2006-2015) and the European Respiratory Review (2008-2015). He currently serves as associate editor of the European Respiratory Journal (2013-present) and has served as associate editor for the Journal of Clinical Investigation (2017-2022).